Burn My Paranoia One Last Time

17. Traces of the Past

Amber jolted awake, choking and sputtering water. She turned her head and leaned on her elbows. The ground felt cold, hard, and.. dry. Her vision finally cleared to where she could see cement beneath her. Part of this clarity was also due to the sudden disappearance of her goggles.

"How..?"

"Are you ok?" A trembling voice sounded close behind her.

Amber turned to see the boy with the beanie kneeling next to her. "Hayden?" Her voice came out a bit hoarser than expected, so she cleared her throat. "What happened?"

Hayden simply stared at her, wide blue eyes petrified in fear. His mouth opened slightly, like he was trying to form words but none came out.

"Hayden."

"I— I saw I saw her," he whispered quietly.

Amber sat up and felt her body go cold. Then she wasn't crazy.

"There was someone staring down at you.. at— at the edge of the pool, like a shadow, and then, and then it looked at me and vanished."

"Hey, calm down," she laid her hand on his knee gently.

Something changed in his expression as he looked back at Amber. His eyes became softer and he sighed.

"I thought it was one of your friends at first," he admitted as he reached up to remove his beanie, revealing dripping blonde curls. That's when she realized: he was soaking wet from head to toe.

Hayden continued as he squeezed the water from his beanie. "It was dark.. so I couldn't really see. The shadow looked up, stared right at me.. and just like nothing it was gone. All of a sudden I heard splashing, so I said 'screw it!'' and ran to the edge. I— I knew it had to be you down there so I dove in to help you."

He was practically out of breath retelling his encounter, and holding Amber's concerned gaze was the only thing that anchored him to safety in this moment.

"You were unconscious and limp when I finally reached you. I was scared I was too late," he choked up.

"Hayden," Amber's chest tightened with sudden emotion. Not too long ago, she was feeling lonelier and more hopeless than she had ever felt before in her life. Now sitting right in front of her was someone who cared, and somehow found her at the most crucial moment. "You saved my life."

Hayden smiled gently, a corner of his lip tilting up. "I only did what I had to do."

Amber smiled back, entranced by his nobility and the way his blue eyes reflected the rippling water. She could already feel the tears welling up inside her.

Suddenly, her vision focused on something over his shoulder. There was a small puddle in the shape of a foot, as if someone had walked barefoot.

She looked down. He was still wearing wet converse shoes.

"What's wrong?" He asked, still kneeling next to her.

"Was someone else—" Amber stopped midway. Of course.. they'd already acknowledged that.

She stood up to get a better look at the footprint. It wasn't just one. There was a whole trail, and they all led up to the door of the girls locker room. The rusty metal door was closed.

"Oh hell," Hayden groaned and rubbed his temple, standing up too.

Amber braced herself and followed them carefully. There was no doubt about it, they could only lead into one place.

"Stay here," she turned around and ordered. "I need to see what's in there."

Hayden gulped. "Are you sure you want go in by yourself?"

"I'll be ok," she assured him with a shrug and a soft smile, displaying more confidence than how she truly felt.

Mustering all the courage she could, she grabbed the cold, metallic knob and turned it.

The door creaked open slowly. Sure enough, the mysterious trail of wet footprints continued down the dim corridor.

Amber felt around the wall to turn on the switch. It didn't work. The only source of light came from the dusty windows at the topmost corners of the room.

She took a deep breath. Her own footsteps were silent as she turned a corner. She made her way past the sinks cautiously, promising not to look into the mirrors and keep her eyes focused on the ground before her.

Amber followed them down a hallway of turquoise lockers that got narrower and narrower. At least, that's how it felt. This corridor didn't even have benches. She certainly didn't remember the locker room being so extensive.

The puddles of water went on straight, without any apparent change in direction. The farther she walked, the rustier the lockers appeared. She could tell they'd given up on maintenance here. The girls team wasn't even that big for them to need the more remote lockers.

Amber gulped. Surely there's no else here, right? It was all in her head. It had to be. Maybe someone pranked her and Hayden. It had to be some kind of cruel joke.

Amber stopped. The footprints had ended.. because they were now turned in the direction of a dilapidated locker.

Her breath caught in her throat as she realized what she had to do. Amber stepped over the puddle of water and lifted her hand slowly, fitting her fingers under the grimy locker handle.

She grimaced at its prickly texture and lifted her hand up. The handle didn't move. She pressed up harder. It still didn't move. Amber spun a random combination, leaned her weight on the locker and lifted up the handle again, groaning in frustration.

"Agh! Damn it!" She slammed her fists onto the metal door. What was the point of leading her here if there was nothing?

Something white fluttered down quickly in her peripheral vision. The hairs on the back of Amber's neck stood on end as she quickly shifted her attention. A folded piece of paper landed softly on the ground, right on top of a puddle.

Amber picked it up quickly and blew on it. The paper felt dusty and damp now. She looked up. It must have been pretty old to have been sitting on top of those lockers without getting noticed.

She turned her back on the locker so that the soft rays of sun would help her see as she unfolded the paper. There was handwriting inside. The letters were curved and neat, which gave Amber the impression that a girl wrote them.

It read:
He is an angel on earth
Untouched by stains of pain and sin
An aura of purity radiates off his skin
People like him are blissfully unaware
Of their effect on those around them
If your smile is the light in my darkness,
Is it too much to dream of your caress?
If your mysterious blue eyes held my gaze,
Would they set my heart more ablaze?
Show me your wings and take me to the sky
I want to feel even more alive
So it is I am nameless as far as you know
But if my words cause your curiosity to grow,
Search for me intently and purely
And I will reveal myself to you surely
- Your Secret Admirer